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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23974615">Against All Odds</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ifyouvegotenoughnerve/pseuds/ifyouvegotenoughnerve'>ifyouvegotenoughnerve</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon Compliant, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Silver Trio</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 18:20:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,022</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23974615</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ifyouvegotenoughnerve/pseuds/ifyouvegotenoughnerve</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of oneshots based on Neville Longbottom and Ginny Weasley's friendship.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom &amp; Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom/Ginny Weasley</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. New Beginnings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>My first fanfic- I started this several years ago and recently rediscovered it. Ginny and Neville are two characters I positively adore and so I wanted to shed some light on the development of their friendship.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Ginny wandered up and down the corridor of the train looking for a compartment that was either remotely empty or at least had a familiar face in it. Ron had already kicked her out and she was growing increasingly frustrated. Last year she made Fred and George let her sit with them and Lee Jordan despite their reluctance, but at least they’d understood that she had been nervous. Now she had no idea where the twins were and she knew Percy was up in the prefect’s car, likely trying to find some time to snog Penelope. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She passed Dean Thomas sitting with Seamus Finnigan and the Padma twins, but she really didn’t know them well enough to intrude. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ginny had been hoping Ron would let her join him, Hermione, and Harry. She didn’t want to admit it, but she felt increasingly anxious at the thought of going back to Hogwarts. She didn’t share the same excitement of returning as the rest of them did. She worried about dark corridors and strange voices  and stumbling across dark magic. She worried about the looks people would give her and the whispers she’d hear behind her back as she walked by herself and struggled to get caught up with her classes. She missed so much last year that she knew she was behind. She spent too much time pouring herself into an untrustworthy friend to make any others. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She spotted a head of sandy hair and knocked on the door as she slid it open. “Neville?” Ginny asked, and the boy turned his head from the window with a welcoming smile. She felt a small bit of relief. “You mind if I sit here?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Neville shook his head and motioned to the seat across from him. “Help yourself. Have a good summer?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ginny smiled back at him and shrugged as she took her seat, letting the door slide close behind her. “We went to Egypt to visit Bill. He’s a Cursebreaker. So that was pretty cool, I guess.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You guess? I spent my whole summer with Gram. I think the most exciting thing I did was go to Diagon Alley to get my books for this year,” he laughed, and Ginny did too. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They engaged in polite small talk for a while, but Ginny felt grateful for it. It kept her mind off of things, and more importantly she was appreciative that he didn’t treat her like a broken child. He didn’t talk down to her, nor did he seem slightly hesitant around her like most of her other classmates had been since they found out about the Chamber of Secrets. He spoke to her like a normal person, just as he would anyone else. She didn’t know him very well, but he had been one of the few people who talked to her on occasion last year. If she was sitting alone in the common room, he’d come by and sit with her just for a little while to give her someone to talk to. Early on she learned that he wasn’t the type most people wanted to be caught hanging out with, but she didn’t see why not. He was a little pudgy, a bit of a klutz, and maybe magic didn’t come as easily to him as it did some, but he had always been perfectly kind to her, and the more she talked to him she learned that he was funny too.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Soon they both fell quiet, watching the landscape pass them as they stared out the window. Ginny’s thoughts drifted back to Hogwarts. Unlike Neville, she knew most people were going to treat her differently. Making friends would be even harder now, surely. She imagined scenarios of Tom somehow finding her by other means, even though Dumbledore had told her that Harry had destroyed that piece of him, and that it couldn’t hurt her now. Maybe he’d be there as some sort of ghost that only she could see, taking control of her in the middle of the night and-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You alright, Ginny?” Neville was looking at her, his expression gentle and she just now realized she had pulled a knee into her chest and had nibbled on the nail on her thumb down to a stub. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes,” she answered easily, quickly straightening herself back out and feeling a light warmth come to her cheeks. When she glanced back at him, she hesitated. She could see he didn’t buy her lie. “I’m nervous,” she admitted after a moment, her voice quiet as she stared at the floor. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course you are,” he said simply, and Ginny looked up at him in surprise. Neville looked back at her steadily, a reassuring smile on his lips. “That’s normal, Ginny. I’d be shocked if you weren’t.” She blinked at him and he leaned forward. “You’re not weak for feeling this way. A horrible thing happened to you last year. I’d be scared out of my wits if I were in your place. But this year will be better, and you know that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She certainly hoped so. Ginny mulled this over, paying special attention to her hands in her lap. His words did somehow lessen the dread she was feeling. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And don’t worry about the others, alright? Soon enough they’ll get over it, and then they’ll see you for how great you are. I know I’m not exactly cool or anything, but if it means anything to you, I think you’re pretty awesome. It won’t take long for everyone else to see that too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It did mean something to her, and she wished her words could express that more. “Thank you, Neville.” She lifted her focus with a smile that stretched across her cheeks.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I mean it. You’re going to do great this year.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They fell quiet once more, Ginny returning her attention to her window as Neville closed his eyes to catch a last minute nap before they arrived in Hogsmeade.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey Neville?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hm?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If it means anything to you, I think you’re pretty awesome too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His smile told her it did. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. More Than Bargained For</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>While not the date she was expecting, Ginny enjoys her evening at the Yule Ball.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“I’m angry at you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You should have told me right away! I can’t believe you’ve only just mentioned it now, three days after he asked you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shhh! Someone will hear!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Despite trying to keep quiet in the library, both Ginny and Hermione shared another look that caused them both to fall into a fit of giggles. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To be honest, I wanted to make sure it wasn’t some sort of joke. You know, that he actually meant it, before I said anything,” Hermione explained in a hushed voice, glancing around to make sure no one had heard the preface of their conversation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny shook her head with a smile, glancing back down at her open Herbology textbook and then at her notably blank sheet of parchment resting next to it. With a sigh she picked up her quill. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Erm, hi girls.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny looked back up again, her smile brightening at who had joined them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Neville! Hi!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boy looked mildly pale to her, his weight shifting from foot to foot as he loitered next to their table while he fiddled with his hands. He looked at Ginny, and smiled back at her, seeming to regain a small bit of color in his face. He then turned his attention to Hermione.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look um, Hermione, I don’t know if you’ve been asked already- well, you probably have- but I, er, well, I was wondering if maybe you’d um… If maybe you would like to go to the Yule Ball with me? I understand if you don’t, but I just thought that because we’re pretty good friends and all...” His face had now picked up a light pink hue and his words came out rather fast. Hermione’s eyes caught Ginny’s, hers of mild shock, and Ginny quickly pretended to be focusing hard on her very incomplete essay. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, Neville, I’m so sorry. I’m already going with somebody. But really, I’m flattered that you thought to ask me,” Hermione replied graciously with a pleasant smile. Ginny peaked up at her and gave her a subtle reassuring nod. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh. Right, of course. Well um, thanks anyways. I hope you have a great time,” Neville said with a good-natured smile. “I’ll see you lot later.” He seemed slightly defeated as he turned to leave them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Ginny?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny looked up from her parchment. It now had a grand sum of three sentences on it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hm?” Neville was back at the table. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about you? Would you mind going with me? Given that someone hasn’t asked you yet, of course.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was Ginny’s turn to blink in surprise. She caught Hermione’s eye before looking back to Neville who had his hand shoved into his pockets as he awaited her answer. While she didn’t dare admit it out loud, part of her had been hoping that perhaps Harry would ask her, even just as a friend. He didn’t have a date yet, after all. Though deep down she knew that was an impossible dream. Harry would ask every girl in the school before he asked his best friend’s little sister. Hermione’s voice from this past summer rang in her ear, reminding her that she couldn’t just wait around for Harry because she’d miss out on other opportunities. It wasn’t as if she could go unless someone in a year above her asked anyways.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t see why not. Sure!” Ginny nodded her head with a growing smile. Her friends would be jealous of her. They had all been trying their hardest to find an older boy to take them, none who had any luck. Except for Ginny. No, Neville might not have been the coolest boy, but that didn’t matter. He was a good friend, and she would have fun with him. Maybe Mum would even let her get her own pair of dress robes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great. Thank you so much Ginny. I can’t wait,” Neville grinned at her, looking widely relieved. “Gram will be really happy. I’ll see you later. Bye ‘Mione, by Gin,” he said cheerfully, waving to the girls as he left from the table. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two girls met eyes again, promptly falling into another fit of giggles.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>On the much anticipated night of the Yule Ball, Ginny began the night in a rather sour mood. She couldn’t believe that she had actually had the opportunity to go with Harry, and that she had to turn it down because she’d already told Neville she would go with him. It had been mortifying. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her mood lifted slightly once she put on the dress robes her mother had sent her. They weren’t new, but Ginny knew it would have been an awful lot to ask her parents to buy such a thing. Instead, her mum had sent the ones she wore when she was still in Hogwarts, but she had fixed them up such that no one would ever be able to tell they were hand-me-downs. They fit her perfectly, and with the changes her mum had made to make them look less outdated they truly did look wonderful.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She and Hermione had spent time in the dormitory, where Ginny showed Hermione different cosmetic spells that they tried out on each other,  but the real magic was the way Hermione made Ginny's eyes look larger and warmer than they normally did with her muggle makeup. By the time she went downstairs to meet Neville, she felt truly beautiful. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At the beginning of the ball, she couldn’t help but feel jealous of Parvati who was dancing with Harry while she was stuck with Neville stumbling all over her feet, but it wasn’t long until she entirely forgot about Harry and found herself genuinely enjoying herself with Neville. His dancing improved as the night went on and she laughed with him when he confessed that he’d been practicing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now the number of students still at the ball was dwindling rapidly as the clock struck two in the morning, and Ginny and Neville decided it was time they headed back to the Common Room. She couldn’t stop grinning on their trip to the Fat Lady, feeling positively giddy. A fourth year from Ravenclaw had asked her to dance, and after spending at least an hour with each other he had made the promise that they would have to find a time to meet up again. Neville didn’t seem to have minded, for he went off on his own with Luna Lovegood, and the two seemed to be having a wonderful time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They chatted their whole way up to the Common Room, both of them feeling excitable despite their exhaustion from dancing the entire evening. The two climbed through the portrait hole, and then they were standing in front of their respective staircases leading up to the dorms. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you have a good time, Ginny?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I had a great time. Thank you so much for inviting me to go with you.” Ginny hesitated for a moment. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, what the hell</span>
  </em>
  <span>. She quickly wrapped her arms around Neville in a tight hug, grinning at him. He stood still for a moment, before his arms wrapped around her to hug her back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m really glad you came with me,” he smiled. He opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. Neville pulled back from her slightly, but his hands still rested outstretched onto her shoulders. “I know that you would have much rather been there with Harry,” he said, quieter now. Ginny’s cheeks flushed, and she immediately opened her mouth to protest but Neville spoke again before she could say anything. “But I really appreciate that you came with me. Really, it means a lot to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m glad I went with you and not Harry,” Ginny said without a second thought, and she realised that her words were honest. “He looked miserable the whole time anyways. I had much more fun with you than I would have with him,” she said and they both laughed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m happy to hear that </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> weren’t miserable with me the whole time,” Neville chuckled. “I guess we’d better head up. Thanks again, Ginny. I really had a lot of fun,” he smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny grinned back up at him, and then pressed up onto her toes to leave a quick peck on his cheek. “Thank you, Neville. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She watched his cheeks turn a mild shade of pink as she turned to bound up the stairs, cheerily waving back at him.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. To Be Worthy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Neville opens up about his parents.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Shortly after their first dinner back from winter holiday, Ginny made her way up to the owlery with a piece of parchment clutched in her hand. The simple scrawling on it addressed her mother who always insisted they sent a letter home so she’d know they had arrived safely at Hogwarts, a task her brothers always enforced upon her. Merlin forbid Ron do it for once. It was his owl, anyways. </p><p>As she pushed open the heavy oak door, Ginny saw another figure struggling to tie a letter onto one of the school owls. </p><p>“Hey there, Neville.”</p><p>There was a rustling of feathers, and then a sort of hiss of discontent. Ginny heard a beak snap, and then a pained gasp from Neville. </p><p>“It bit me!”</p><p>Ginny nibbled on her lip to stop herself from smiling as she made her way over to help Neville as he sucked on his finger, taking the rolled up parchment from him and finding a new owl, the other one having promptly flown away. </p><p>“It’s for Gram,” Neville muttered irritably to the new owl once Ginny had managed to attach the letter to its foot, and the owl then took off for its destination. “She always makes me write her when I get to school, although I’m not sure why, seeing as she would know just about as soon as everyone else if something went wrong on the trip,” he shrugged, and Ginny smiled.</p><p>“Mum makes us do the same. When we forget Dad says she freaks,” she grinned, holding up her own letter before beginning to call for Pig. “I think they’re even more on edge with Umbridge around. Not that I can blame them. It will take at least a few days before they even get what we send them, after it’s been searched for anything important,” Ginny rolled her eyes. “Did you have a good holiday?” </p><p>“I did. It was nice not to get away from this hell hole for a while, anyways. I’m looking forward for the next DA meeting, though.” Neville followed Ginny as she finally located the owl who began screeching excitedly while she tried to attach the letter. “How’s your dad?” He asked more seriously, lowering his voice. </p><p>“He’s just fine. He’ll be well enough to leave St. Mungo’s soon. We got lucky,” she said quietly, knowing it was best not to elaborate, even though she felt fairly confident they were alone. Neville nodded in understanding. “How are your-” Ginny halted, realizing what she was about to say and immediately blushing at her foolishness, her attention turning to her feet. </p><p>Neville didn’t seem bothered, however. He simply smiled at her, a bit sadly maybe, and shrugged. “They’re okay, Gin. It’s always nice when I get to see them.”</p><p>An uncomfortable silence hung in the air as Ginny sent Pig off. She hadn’t seen Neville since their encounter at St. Mungo’s. Until then, she had no idea about his parents and discovering it the way they all had over the holiday hadn’t been exactly… ideal. </p><p>“I’m sorry, Neville,” she whispered. Both for him being forced into a scenario where the situation with his parents was explained rather than him telling them on their own time, and for the tragedy itself. She couldn’t fathom what it must be like to grow up knowing your parents when they never really knew you. After the incident, she hadn’t stopped thinking about how strong Neville was, and how guilty she felt for never realizing what he dealt with his whole life.</p><p>“Please don’t be,” he mumbled in reply, and the two met eyes for a moment. “I’m not ashamed of them,” Neville said, with a sense of defiance in his voice, almost as if he expected Ginny to challenge him. </p><p>“Of course not, I didn’t mean-”</p><p>“I know you don’t. I just don’t want people to think that’s why I don’t talk about it. I’m not ashamed of them at all. I admire it. I’m proud to be their son. And I just hope that I can someday be as brave as they are.” Neville shuffled his feet, letting out a quiet sigh. “I don’t want people to pity me. And I don’t want people to make comments or stay stuff about them, not because I’m ashamed of them but because I’m ashamed of me.”</p><p>Ginny bit her lip, reaching her hand out to rest on his arm. “Neville…”</p><p>“I don’t want people to make excuses about the way I am, saying it’s because of them. It’s not. They were amazing people, Gin, you heard Gram talking about them. They were aurors, and they were good at everything they did and they were impossibly brave and I’m <em> not </em>. Everybody in my family knows that. I’m a disappointment compared to them. I’m so proud to be their son, Ginny, but I’m so ashamed that I’m the son they have.”</p><p>Ginny didn’t hesitate to wrap her arms tight around Neville and she felt him freeze for a moment before reciprocating the hug. “You are not a disappointment, Neville, do you understand that? You are not a disappointment,” she repeated, pulling back slightly to look him in the eye. “Your parents would be so proud to have you as a son. You are so brave Neville, and I’ll bet you anything you’re just as brave as they are. Just because you haven’t defied Tom Rid- Voldemort- himself doesn’t mean you aren’t every bit as brave as they are, even in the small things you do. You were sorted into Gryffindor for a reason. I promise that was not just a fluke. You belong in this house and you <em> will </em> do great things. I know you will. You will make them proud.”</p><p>They stood like that for a long time, before finally Neville pulled away with a small smile and a slight nod. “Thank you Ginny,” he said, giving her arm a squeeze.</p><p>“I mean it, Neville, alright?” Ginny smiled back at him. “Now c’mon, let’s go back to the Common Room. Ron told me the twins were planning on stealing a bunch of desserts from the kitchen, and I want to get my hands on some before they’re all gone.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Changing Tides</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ginny and Neville share a conversation after Dumbledore's funeral.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Canonically, the students board the Hogwarts Express immediately after Dumbledore's funeral, so technically this day never happened. However I've always imagined this scene between Ginny and Neville and thought of it as a turning point in their friendship before the bulk of the war, so for my sake, it did :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The sun came through the windows of the Gryffindor tower mockingly bright. Clouds hung in the air like they had each been crafted by hand then tossed up to sit as puffs full of soft string while a breeze whispered through the newly budding trees and across the blades of regrown grass. These were the types of days they would halt revising for a moment to spend the afternoon lounging by the Black Lake, waving back at the Giant Squid when it splashed. It certainly didn’t look like Death Eaters had invaded the castle just a few days ago, or like a funeral was held yesterday. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It ought to be raining, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Ginny thought bitterly. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Storming</span>
  </em>
  <span>. She felt it ought to be the ugliest day she had ever seen but as she stared out from her spot at a table in the Common Room, she saw just the converse. It reminded her of one of those fleeting moments of tranquility she had spent with- </span>
  <em>
    <span>no</span>
  </em>
  <span>. She wasn’t thinking about that right now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She had found a surprisingly quiet moment in the Common Room. Aside from Arnold tucked quietly against her neck, she sat alone. Everyone else had either made their way down to breakfast or had no intents of waking before noon. Ginny felt neither like eating nor sleeping. Dreams came vivid with whispers of voices from her past since the battle, as if her mind wasn’t too restless anyways. She didn’t feel like sitting at the Great Hall across from Harry, avoiding eye contact the whole breakfast and hearing the awkward mumblings they’d make when they accidentally brushed hands reaching for more jam. She didn’t want to deal with Ron and Hermione’s knowing glances. Hermione’s cautious inquisitions, Ron’s ignorant babbling. The undeniable air of tension that held thicker than the clouds outside which didn’t exist this time yesterday. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You </span>
  </em>
  <span>knew. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You </span>
  </em>
  <span>knew </span>
  <em>
    <span>it wouldn’t last. And you’re stupid for letting yourself think that just for a second you’re living in one of those Muggle faerytales Hermione told you about. Your life has never been anything of the sort. Time to wake up.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It didn’t mean she didn’t understand. It also didn’t mean it wouldn’t sting. This one stung a lot. A lot more than cutting it off with Michael or Dean. And Ginny hated that. She wasn’t supposed to feel all caught up on a stupid boy she said she’d let go of years ago. And yet she did. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not at breakfast?” The voice came from the steps to the boys’ dormitory. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not hungry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But you’re not still in bed?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can’t sleep.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny pulled her head from the window to see Neville’s sandy hair now sitting directly across from her. He had a gruesome gash across his lip that was still healing and she knew from the uneven sounds of his steps his knee probably required an extra day of rest in the hospital wing, not that Neville would ever take it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re not at breakfast,” she commented.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not hungry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But not still in bed?” Her lips turned up into a slight, wry smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can’t sleep.” Neville’s did the same. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny’s head turned back to the window and their smiles fell, the moment gone. A crane flew over the lake with its feet just skimming the water to disrupt the glossy reflection and leave a path trailing behind it. With the exception of the occasional breeze rustling branches and birds chirping, the grounds held a silent tranquility as if someone had cast a spell over the entirety of Hogwarts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It seems insulting. The weather ought to know we’re all grieving. Awfully indecent, if you ask me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neville let out a half-hearted snort. “I’m not quite sure that’s how the weather works, Gin. It was like this yesterday.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Indecent,” Ginny muttered again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They sat in silence for a long time. Ginny, with her eyes on the peaceful grounds below them, her hand occasionally lifting to stroke Arnold. Neville, with his focus on an etching in the table that had been there for probably thirty years. The first letter was a clear ‘M’, but the rest were relatively indistinguishable from years that had worn them down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He cut it off.” She didn’t know where the words came from, but it felt like they tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Neville’s fingers stopped tracing over the timeworn letters and his head lifted to meet Ginny’s eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She stayed quiet for a long moment again, her eyes drifting back towards the window. She drew in a deep breath, finding her throat surprisingly tight as she swallowed. “Harry ended it. Yesterday. But I reckon you already knew that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Silence again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I actually don’t think he’s told anyone, Gin. To be frank, I’ll bet he’s avoiding dealing with Ron’s wrath. We’d all have known, just from that alone. Merlin knows the whole dormitory’s intolerable when one’s mad at the other.” Neville kept his voice soft, sensitive. She could tell he was trying to lighten the situation but she didn’t feel much in the mood for it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pff. As if Ron would care. He’d drop me in a heartbeat if he had to choose between me and Harry.” Ginny let her eyes momentarily leave the window to meet Neville’s before promptly returning to their place. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s not one bit true. You might not know it from the way he acts around you, but he cares a whole lot about you. He talks about you all the time. Harry’s his best mate, but I reckon he’d drop </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span> in a heartbeat if it came down to it. You know how important family is to Ron.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny merely rolled her eyes in response. She kept them fixated on the window until she felt Neville’s hand softly grabbing hers, demanding her attention. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey.” His voice came out hardly above a whisper and his eyes stared at her all too kindly, with too much understanding. “I’m sorry. I know how happy he made you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny’s neck snapped towards the window and her teeth nibbled hard on her lip, but it was too late. Her eyes had already started brimming with water, her throat even tighter than it was moments ago. It took Neville hardly a second to shift to the seat beside her and cradle her head into his chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They weren’t dramatic, heaving sobs, but rather soft sniffles and occasional tight breaths. Still, this was the first time she’d cried, </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> cried, since it all happened. Ginny wasn’t one to let herself be vulnerable. She didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>cry</span>
  </em>
  <span>, not like this, and certainly not in front of people. Not since her first year. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Arnold hopped off her shoulder and replaced Ginny’s eyes by sitting on the windowsill. Her arms wrapped around Neville in return and for just this moment, she let him see her like this and let him comfort her. They sat like that until her sniffles grew less and less frequent and her tears no longer dampened Neville’s shirt. When Ginny lifted her head to wipe her nose and mouth with her sleeve, Neville let out a small chortle. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, it’s just- I think you might be the least ugly crier I have ever seen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny responded with a harsh smack to Neville’s arm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What!” He cried, pouting as he rubbed the spot she just hit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her head fell to rest on his shoulder and his arm wrapped around hers. “You’re full of shit, is all,” she grinned up at him. Neville shook his head with an eye roll in response, but let the topic slide for now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s- I understand. Why he did it, I mean. I get it, I really do. I just wish he didn’t feel like he had to,” Ginny whispered. Neville’s hand gave her shoulder a small squeeze. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think it was easy for him Gin, I really don’t. I don’t think you realize just how happy you made him. And trust me, I’ve lived with Harry for six years. He’s not exactly a pleasant bloke to be around sometimes. But these past few weeks he’s been with you- I swear. He’s not his typical, moody self. He’s, well, </span>
  <em>
    <span>happy</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He’s nicer and doesn’t snap at people and Merlin, I think he sometimes hums when he gets up in the morning.” Neville chuckled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It did make her smile, just the tiniest bit. “I saw it coming. I think- I think I’ve known it was coming for a long time, really. It was foolish of me to think it would last.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neville frowned. “Gin, what you two have is special. I’ve never- I’ve never seen anything like it before. The way you two laugh at each other is absolutely revolting and he gets this dumb, glossy-eyed look when he’s watching you- oh yeah, he watches you all the time. Has been for months. Not when you’re doing anything special, just sitting, writing, revising. All. The. Time. And you always seem to know what the other is thinking and feeling without saying a word- it’s bloody weird I’m telling you. But… I guess what I’m trying to say is, you mean just as much to him as he does to you. And what you and Harry have is something unique that I’m not sure everyone finds. So at the end of all of this, whatever that might mean, I have a feeling you’ll find each other. I really do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny smiled sadly at Neville. She thought on this for a while. Maybe Neville was right. The optimist in her liked to believe that he was, but the cynic that always prevailed in times like these told her not to get caught up in such nonsense. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Things are going to be different now, aren’t they,” she murmured, though it wasn’t much of a question. There was no doubt things would be changing. They all knew it. Maybe they’d seen it coming for ages, but Ginny felt they were all too wrapped up in those brief moments of happiness to remember what loomed ahead until it actually came. There would be no more games now. No more lounging in the sun by the Black Lake, no more giggling behind tapestries late at night. A war was upon them. It was time they started acting like it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“McGonagall will take over, no doubt. I’ll bet she runs a tight ship,” Neville mused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“With our luck, we’ll end up somehow having Snape as Headmaster,” Ginny snorted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neville pulled away from her, eyes wide. “Don’t even joke about that! Can you imagine something worse? That man has hated me before I even stepped foot in his classroom. Probably because it took too long for the Sorting Hat to sort me,” he muttered. They both fell into giggles, and for that moment, despite it all things felt almost alright again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Gin. Things are going to be very different. But we’ll take them on like we always do. And we’ll make it through, and Voldemort will be gone, and you and Harry will live happily ever after. Even if it’s against all odds. Alright?” Neville had a surprisingly optimistic grin on his face as he squeezed Ginny’s shoulder once again. It was probably one of the things she loved most about Neville. Even if he didn’t always see the bright side for himself, he always seemed to find it for others. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright. Even if it’s against all odds,” she grinned back. The puffiness of her eyes was still there but the blotchiness in her cheeks had faded and the tightness in her throat had loosened up to a point where it didn’t feel like she was swallowing a rock every time she took a breath. Neville stood up and so did Ginny, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“C’mon, let’s go get some breakfast before it’s all gone.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Not Just a Backdrop</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Neville, Ginny, and Luna share a compartment on the Hogwarts Express to discuss what Hogwarts will look like in the coming year.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Less centric on only Neville and Ginny's friendship, but setting the stage for how the Silver Trio prepared to navigate a new Hogwarts. I originally planned to post this as a part of the two remaining chapters taking place during the time of Deathly Hallows, however I felt it stood fine on its own, and didn't really make sense to make it a piece of the next part. Nonetheless, enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Would it be ‘ight if I sit with you three?” Seamus Finnegan and tapped on the glass to the compartment Ginny shared with Neville and Luna.</p><p>“I’m sorry, Seamus. We need to be alone.” </p><p>The words stung even as Ginny spoke them. She remembered what it felt like just a few years back when she had heard similar words from her own brother blocking her out of his compartment on the Hogwarts Express. When she had been terrified to return to Hogwarts and had no other friends to find the company of. She imagined Seamus might have felt similarly. Dean hadn’t been seen at the platform, and neither had Colin nor Dennis Creevey. No one quite knew what Hogwarts would look like this year, but they all shared an unpleasant apprehension regarding the matter. </p><p>“I think I saw Lavender and the Patils down just a few, I’m sure they’ve got plenty of room,” Neville offered up, giving Seamus a tight smile. </p><p>The air held a thick tension as the boy nodded stiffly, heading down the train to find a new location. It wouldn’t be hard. An unsettling amount of students were not returning to Hogwarts this year, but no one wanted to be alone for any part of it. </p><p>The three sat in silence while the final students boarded the train. No one felt the need to ask how summer had been, what their timetables looked like this semester. They were empty questions and truthfully, right now none of the trio particularly cared to hear the answers. While normally the start of the school year was a time for celebration and excitement, for reuniting with friends, this year Platform 9 ¾ felt very different. Normally bustling with affection, laughter, and goodbye tears, this year a hush had fallen over the platform, and not only because it was half as full as it usually was. Families spoke their goodbyes in hushed voices and held each other a little bit tighter, a little bit longer, than they normally would have. </p><p>This year Ginny arrived at the platform for the first time in her life only accompanied by her mum. No brothers, no Hermione, no Harry. Not even Dad, though she’d overheard him saying members of the Order would be carefully scattered throughout, in case any Death Eaters tried anything. The whole thing left a rock sitting in her stomach.</p><p>“Ginny, I have to ask. Do you know anything about-”</p><p>“No, Neville. I don’t. I’d tell you lot if I did,” Ginny sighed. </p><p>As the train finally started moving, Neville rummaged through his knapsack to pull out the day’s copy of the Daily Prophet. He began reading the front page,</p><p>“<em> Severus Snape, long-standing Potions master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was today appointed Headmaster in the most important of several staffing changes at the ancient school. Following the resignation of the previous Muggle Studies teacher, Alecto Carrow will take over the post while her brother, Amycus, fills the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. ‘I welcome the opportunity to uphold our finest Wizarding traditions and values- </em>’”</p><p>“I thought your Grandmother stopped subscribing to the Daily Prophet, after they kept publishing those horrible articles about Harry. She told me at the wedding- I talked to her for quite a while about the Quibbler,” Luna interrupted.</p><p>“She did. I saw the headline and stole a copy when we stopped in Diagon Alley this morning. That’s beside the point. Why wait until today to announce it?”</p><p>“Because they want as many students as possible at Hogwarts under his thumb. Even fewer people would be on this train right now if they’d given us more notice,” Ginny shook her head. “I mean truly, can it get any worse? Three death eaters inside Hogwarts. A headmaster who murdered his incumbent. It’s pretty obvious, Riddle- er, You-Know-Who, officially has control of the Ministry.”</p><p>“It’ll be worse than Umbridge. How are we supposed to fight in a war if we can’t even learn proper defense? Or anything at all.” Neville grumbled, crumpling the newspaper back into the knapsack.</p><p>“Well, what about what we did last time Hogwarts was under control of someone we didn’t like very much?” Luna looked at the two of them. They both stared back at her.</p><p>“It’s too dangerous,” Neville shook his head.</p><p>“It’s our only option,” Ginny answered at the same time. </p><p>“But <em> how </em>? It was dangerous then and that was without Death Eaters running the bloody castle. And no offense to us all but… People came to DA meetings because they believed in Harry, and even with him it was still hard to get a large enough group. I don’t think that many people in this castle believe in… us. We’re nobodies.” Neville slouched down in his seat.</p><p>“We can’t wait around for Harry, Ron, and Hermione to come save the day. They <em> left </em> us, and they’re not coming back any time soon.” Ginny couldn’t keep the bitterness out of her voice. She knew her friends wouldn’t be coming back to Hogwarts, but she’d never gotten a chance to say goodbye to any of them. It felt like she’d been left behind, and it hurt more than she cared to admit to herself. “Everyone has always underestimated us. But we’ve always been there, just behind the scenes. Now’s our chance to step into the light and prove that we are something on our own. Prove that we <em> can </em> fight. That we’re not nobodies.”</p><p>Ginny sat up straighter. Beneath her eyes a light was growing. “It’s up to us now. We’re all that’s left,” she smirked. “Maybe that won’t be enough for most, but it doesn’t have to be. We don’t have to have a large army, just a loyal one.”</p><p>“I suppose a war is when we need to come together more than any other time. The DA was a lot more than just a place to learn spells, wasn’t it?” Neville seemed to have perked up a bit. “Where will we meet? We can’t use the Room of Requirement again, that’s where we got caught last time.”</p><p>“That’s why it’s the perfect place to do it. They wouldn’t think we’re stupid enough to do it there again,” Luna smiled. “We’ll just have to be more careful this time. I suppose the stakes are a bit higher than they were before.”</p><p>“We’re lucky we have you to keep us out of trouble then, Luna. You’re more clever than Neville and I combined.”</p><p>The three spent a long time conspiring about what a resurrected version of Dumbledore’s Army might look like. How often they’d meet, what sort of things they’d teach, how they’d recruit in the first place without letting anyone find out who was behind it. Luna had the brilliant idea of using the coins they had the first time around, vouching that those most loyal would still have them anyways. She promised she could figure out how to enchant them to their needs. </p><p>“And who will do the teaching?” Ginny asked. </p><p>“You,” Luna and Neville answered simultaneously</p><p>“I’m flattered, but that’s ridiculous. You’ve learned more in your classes, Neville, it should be you. Besides, you’re much more patient than I am with helping people” Ginny shook her head.</p><p>“Maybe, but I can’t properly perform half the spells that I know anyways. But you can. You know a lot more than you let on. We’ve all seen you duel. You’re bloody brilliant.”</p><p>“Who says it has to be one person, anyway,” Ginny deflected. “We’ve all got spells we’re really good at. So will the people who join. It can be more of a… group effort. I think we’ve all got lots to learn from each other.”</p><p>“That’s nice of you to say, Ginny,” Luna hummed. “I’ve tried teaching people about Umgubular Slashkilters, but no one seems to consider them a serious threat… Maybe in a DA meeting they’d actually listen!”</p><p>“Erm, right, Luna... Well, no matter what, we’re going to have something. We’re not going to let Snape run us this year. And when the time comes, we’ll be ready to join the Order. To fight You Know Who.” Neville grinned as he looked at the others. “Even if it’s against all odds, right Gin?”</p><p>“Hm?”</p><p>“Even if it’s against all odds. Remember?”</p><p>A smile grew on her lips as she recalled the conversation with her friend just a few months back. “Even if it's against all odds,” Ginny nodded. “I hate to say it, Neville, but I think our odds just got a bit tougher to beat.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Left Behind</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hogwarts is no longer a place of comfort as Ginny and Neville face the challenge of leading the DA during the school's darkest hours. Some nights are more difficult to cope with than others.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Warnings: Underage drinking, hints at abuse</p><p>Didn't initially plan to write this right now, but it's been a bug in my head all day and I simply couldn't get anything done without thinking about it. So, here we are, much sooner than expected!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Standing at the Astronomy Tower with a smuggled bottle of firewhiskey in hand was likely one of the last things Ginny Weasley ought to have been doing in the middle of the night, but tonight she decided she didn't care if she had to pay the consequences for being found. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It hadn’t been hard to get up there. By now, they’d memorized the Slytherin Prefect routes, thanks to Luna creating a rather helpful map and timetable of their rounds. The harder part was getting in and out of the common room without Neville seeing her. Thankfully, her detention had ended early. He must have been in the shower when she snuck back in, leaving a note telling him she was safe before creeping back out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Part of her knew she was being irresponsible. She had an unenforced duty to protect her peers, particularly the other DA members and younger students, but for the first time in what might have been months no students that she was aware of had any late night detentions with the Carrows, and so the likelihood of being called to rescue others was minimal. With Luna gone, taken to who knew where, the task of keeping the DA running was left to Ginny and Neville, and with only the two of them, the job was becoming more exhausting with each passing day. The morale of the whole castle had fallen to next to nothing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>These days, Dumbledore’s Army looked more like a rescue crew than a Defense Against the Dark Arts club. Students around the castle bore new scars every day, a physical reminder to everyone of the consequences for fighting back, but the worst detentions left no visible marks. With threats much greater than line writing hanging over their heads, asking others to resist with the DA was becoming a selfish request. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The corridors these days held a certain darkness to them. Hogwarts did not feel the same anymore. Ginny took a long sip of the bottle in hand, hoping it would clear away the sickening feeling of the most recent detention she’d spent in Amycus Carrow's classroom. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At the sound of footsteps entering behind her, she immediately spun around with her wand drawn.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Easy, Gin. It’s just me.” Neville stood at the entrance, hands held up in surrender. His eyes shifted to the bottle in her hand before she had time to hide it behind her back. Caught. She blinked back at him guiltily. “That bad tonight, huh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I needed to clear my head.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was waiting in the common room for you. When I asked Lavender if she’d seen you in the girls’ dormitory she said no.” Did she hear… anger in his voice? No. It was worry. Ginny sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their unspoken promise. On detention nights, one always waited up by the fireplace for the other to return. The ritual had started back in October, as an accident, really. Ginny had been sitting there late, unable to sleep. Neville came back after midnight, a nasty bruise on his eye and a gash on his arm. It was the first time detentions meant more than just an inconvenience. From that day forward, they always waited for each other. Not just to make sure they got back safe, but for comfort on the worst nights. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As time passed, they both found it nearly impossible to sleep in their own dormitories. The constant edge of feeling like they needed to be ready to save someone from the Carrows at a moment’s notice combined with vivid nightmares made sleep hard to come by. So most nights, they feel asleep by the fireplace in the common room, Ginny’s head on Neville’s shoulder or Neville’s head in Ginny’s lap. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I hoped you would take the night off. I left you a note that I’d made it back alright.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve always ignored my notes.,” Neville’s eyes narrowed. “And you know I’m just as likely to take a night off as you are, which is never. I thought Carrow hurt you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, Neville. I should have known you’d stay up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He did do something to you. That’s why you’re drinking.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny turned her back to him to face the railing, staring at the Hogwarts grounds below them. “I don’t want to talk about it. That’s why I came up here in the first place. How’d you know to find me here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neville shrugged. “Honestly, first place I thought to look. You can see the Quidditch pitch perfectly from here. And it’s an easy path to take without running into Prefects.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She smiled slightly. “You know me too well.” She lifted the bottle to her lips for a long sip, the alcohol burning down her throat and leaving a warm, fiery feeling in her belly. “Want some?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I shouldn’t. At least one of us needs to be alert. How’d you even get that in here, anyways? The Carrows searched everyone’s bags upon arrival after the holiday.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If I told you, I’d have to kill you.” Ginny raised a brow at him and stretched the contraband out to him. Despite what he said, Neville took the bottle from her hand and took a sip for himself, sputtering immediately.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Blimey what </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> that? It’s like… liquid fire. That’s not normal firewhiskey.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry. Forgot to mention, it’s er… a treat from Fred and George. They’d been… experimenting with it. It’s a bit stronger than normal,” she smiled sheepishly. “I don’t… I don’t do this often, you know. I’ve had this sitting under my bed since we got back, I haven’t touched it, I promise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not here to scold you, Ginny. We deserve a break every now and then.” Neville looked at her seriously. “What did he do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She stared out at the grounds below her, her eyes stoney and her face untelling. “A boggart,” she whispered. “It- it was Tom. And I was so tired, I couldn’t get it out of my head that it wasn’t real. I haven’t seen him since… Not like that, anyways. He’s there in my dreams every single night but it was different with him there right in front of me. It sounded just like him, it was so </span>
  <em>
    <span>real</span>
  </em>
  <span>. The whole time, Carrow was watching, taking notes, I suppose so that later on he can remember how to use my greatest fears against me,” she shook her head. “I could </span>
  <em>
    <span>feel</span>
  </em>
  <span> him Neville, his voice whispering in my ear, his hands… And then Carrow got rid of him, because I couldn’t. Took his place, pretending to save me, calling me </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ginevra</span>
  </em>
  <span>. That’s what Riddle called me, because it was the first thing I wrote in the diary. I can’t stand to be called it anymore because of him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nevile’s jaw clenched. “That sick bastard. I could kill him. Next time I’m alone in a room with him I’ll-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No you won’t Neville. That’s what got us here in the first place. That’s what has us crippled on the floor of their classrooms every other day. Can’t you see it, it’s not </span>
  <em>
    <span>worth</span>
  </em>
  <span> fighting anymore.” She snatched the firewhiskey back from Neville, taking another sip from it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s not true, Ginny, you </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span> that’s not true. Don’t let them get to you like this, it’s exactly what they want.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s too late! They’ve already gotten it!” She shouted. “I couldn’t even perform </span>
  <em>
    <span>riddikulus</span>
  </em>
  <span> against a </span>
  <em>
    <span>boggart</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Neville. They teach you that in third year, and I couldn’t do it. I just stood there, petrified, shaking. I couldn’t even remember my wand was in my pocket to protect myself. What’s the point of fighting if I’m too weak to fight for myself?” Her voice had grown quieter, her eyes avidly avoiding Neville’s now. Despite it all, she felt like the Carrows had finally found a way to put her under their control. And truly, that was her worst fear, and always had been since her first year. Being under someone else’s control.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re being too hard on yourself. You’ve spent countless hours under the torture of manipulative freaks. They know how to get under your skin by now. And they know we were out late last night saving that second year from the Slytherin Prefects, they know you’re worn down. No one would be able to fight a boggart in that state.” He stepped closer to her, attempting to grab Ginny’s hand, but she snatched it away from him before he had the chance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s the point, Neville? Really, what’s the point? We haven’t been able to have a DA meeting in weeks, the castle is a bloody nightmare. Neither of us sleep anymore. Every night is a gamble as to who gets to take the Cruciatus Curse for saving a first year from getting it instead.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What happened to ‘against all odds’, Ginny? Our odds are tough, does that mean we give up? We give up when it gets tough? You, of all people, are the person I’d expect to be giving up right now.” The phrase Neville had said at the end of the previous year had become something they said now quite often. A sort of mantra, between her, Neville, and Luna, for when things got tough. A reminder that they were stronger than what they’d been dealt. Only Luna wasn’t here anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“‘Against all odds’ is a stupid promise. One we can’t keep. We’re playing a game of </span>
  <em>
    <span>survival</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Neville, not a game of chance. Luna’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>gone</span>
  </em>
  <span>. What are we still fighting for? We’ve lost our game, Neville, can’t you see that?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about for Harry?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny froze. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Harry</span>
  </em>
  <span>. “Don’t bring him into this,” she snapped. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What, so you’ve given up on Harry too?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Harry </span>
  <em>
    <span>left</span>
  </em>
  <span> me.” She hissed. The truth was, while she tried her hardest, not a day went by that she didn’t think of Harry. And every day the thought of him hurt even more. It hurt to fantasize about the day he’d come back. It hurt more to imagine that he’d forgotten about her. Even worse to think that he wouldn’t come back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t believe you for a second. You know you’ll always be waiting for Harry, no matter how much you pretend you don’t care anymore. You’re only saying this because you’re angry. He left you to </span>
  <em>
    <span>protect</span>
  </em>
  <span> you, and you know that.” Neville’s eyes had narrowed, his arms crossed over his chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t need him to protect me. He’s done a lot more harm this way. Do you know how hard it is, every damn detention, getting interrogated about him? They think I’m just being stubborn, that I know something. So every time I say ‘I don’t know’ I’m back on the floor again and the end of that blasted curse. But I don’t know a thing. It’d be better if I did know something, just something small, so that I could toss them a bone and save myself the torture.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s better than if you did know something. Because you’d never give him up, and you’d go mad in order to save him and the others. And trust me, Ginny, I know better than anyone what that type of heroic looks like.” His voice grew colder, and while Ginny didn’t want to admit it, she knew he was right. She grabbed the bottle again, the fire in her belly no longer just from the drink.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He left me like everybody else has. Like every brother who went to Hogwarts before me. Like Charlie to go play with dragons, like Bill to run off with that </span>
  <em>
    <span>wretched</span>
  </em>
  <span> Fleur, like Percy to join the Ministry, like Fred and George for their joke shop, like Ron my first year when I needed him most. Like Hermione without saying goodbye. Harry left me to go save the day, leaving me behind to deal with all of this. I’m always left behind. Always.” The alcohol had made her lips loose and words that were usually locked in her mind bubbled out before she could stop them. The hurt she tried to hide was betrayed by the crack in her voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny cocked her head at Neville, taking in the sight of the friend next to her. He’d slimmed down over the course of the year, they both had. He’d grown into himself, now taller, stronger looking. No longer the chubby, clumsy boy she’d first met. They’d shared a different kind of comfort this year. A sad one. A comfort grown from seeing too much, and understanding things they never should have had to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come to think of it, Neville, you’re the only one who hasn’t left me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neville stared back at her, his stance relaxing with a sigh. “I’m never going to, Gin. You know that. We need each other now more than ever. We’re all we have left.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looked into his eyes, caught under the moonlight. Green, like Harry’s, but darker. Sadder. She wondered how she’d never noticed them until this moment. In the silence that hung in the air, Ginny had moved closer to him, rested her hand on his cheek. Warm. A stark contrast to the chilly air around them. Something, the firewhiskey maybe, brought her closer yet, and then her lips onto his.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They weren’t soft. No- tough from the cut healing on them. But they were plush, and while hesitant, melted against hers. Her arms wrapped around his neck and </span>
  <em>
    <span>Merlin</span>
  </em>
  <span>, </span>
  <em>
    <span>it felt so nice to kiss someone</span>
  </em>
  <span>. She hadn’t kissed someone in so long. Close to him, his warmth covered her, safe-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The warmth was gone. Her eyes opened and Neville jolted away from her, now at an arm’s length distance. He had somehow managed to capture the bottle into his own hand. He lifted it, examining it closely and feeling how it was nearly half empty. Then he eyed Ginny, her small frame. She didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>sound</span>
  </em>
  <span> like she had half a bottle in her. But everything else about her said otherwise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re drunk, Ginny.” His eyes looked sad, pitying almost.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She stepped back from him, feeling embarrassed and foolish. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. An awkward silence hung in the air. Her head danced as she tried to focus on his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neville’s arms wrapped around her, pulling her head into his chest. In his comfort, a sob shuddered through her, the tears coming fast and hot. He held her tight and his fingers combed through her hair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to pretend, you know. Not around me. You don’t have to be so tough all the time,” he murmured. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny nodded her head against him, wrapping her own arms around him in turn. She didn’t try to stop herself anymore. Neville was right. There weren’t first years here that she needed to put a brave face on for, just him, and this wasn’t the first time she’d let him see her like this. In fact, he was probably the only person she’d let see her like this. It felt </span>
  <em>
    <span>good</span>
  </em>
  <span>, letting everything go for just a moment. Letting go of Tom, of rescue missions, of painful detentions, of being left behind, of missing Luna, of the pain from the thought of Harry. Every piece of hurt a thorn poking into her skin, sinking deeper with each passing month that she’d ignored them, now fell out in the form of a tear. Soon she didn’t even know why she was crying anymore, but the tears didn’t stop. Maybe the alcohol, but more likely just built up tension, exhaustion, that she had held on for far too long that had been waiting to be released. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now isn’t that a better way of coping than firewhiskey is?” Neville said after some time, smiling down at her. She choked out a laugh as she lifted her chin to look at him. His thumb traced a tear off her cheek.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I shouldn’t have kissed you. I’m sorry,” she whispered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know you miss him, but I’m no replacement for Harry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny nodded, pulling herself away from Neville’s arms and leaning against the railing of the tower. “I think I just… got caught up. I just wish he’d send me anything. An owl, something, so I know they’re alive. That’s the hardest part.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You think they’re still out there?” Neville moved to stand next to her, mimicking her stance. The bottle sat between them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know they are. It’s… it’s just a feeling I have. Maybe not that they’re out there but more that… I’d know if they weren’t.” She lifted her head to look at the stars above them, but the movement made her dizzy and caused her to stumble back a few steps. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, if you hadn’t kissed me, I wouldn’t have known you’re positively hammered right now,” Neville grinned down at her. “A bit scary, really.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m a Weasley. We hold our liquor well.” She looked back at him and frowned. “Neville, do you love me?” Her words out slow, the end of one bumping into the start of the next. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neville’s head fell back as he laughed. “Gin, of course I do. But not like that. And you don’t love me like that either. You love Harry. You’ve always loved Harry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny grinned back at him, wrapping her arms around his waist and letting her head lean into his shoulder. His arm wrapped around her in response. “Yeah… I supposed you’re right on that. How come you’re always right, lately? Kind of annoying, really,” she humphed. “Sucks being in love. Hurts a lot sometimes. Like right now. I think things might be easier if I weren’t.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe, but it’ll be worth it. I’ll bet you anything Harry’s thinking of you just as much as you’re thinking of him. And when he comes back, it’ll be better than before,” he gave Ginny’s shoulder a squeeze. “What you two have is special. And despite what you say, it’s not going anywhere.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neville always knew the right things to say, but he also never said things he didn’t believe. It was what made his words all that more comforting in times like this. “I’m sorry about what I said earlier. About ‘against all odds’. It’s not stupid. It’s probably the only thing keeping me going. Reminds me what it felt like when this year started. That energy that’s kept us going.” She hiccuped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know you didn’t mean it, Gin. And we need to believe it more now more than ever. Otherwise we’ve got nothing left.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for always putting my pieces back together,” she whispered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s what I’m here for. You’ve done it for me more times than you know,” Neville smiled back at her. “But for now, I’d say it’s time to get you to bed. I reckon you’re going to have a bit of a headache tomorrow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I won’t,” she hummed. “Against all odds, I will not have a headache!” Ginny slurred.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure, that’s one way to use it,” Neville laughed, looping his arm around her and guiding her back down the Astronomy Tower stairs. </span>
</p>
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